Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

National Maritime Museum and National Gallery: Collections

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) the National Maritime Museum, and (2) the National Gallery, about the percentage of their collections that have remained in storage during the last five years; and how many items in storage were lent to private collections outside London.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: DCMS-sponsored museums operate independently, at arm’s-length from Her Majesty’s Government, so the Department does not direct their curatorial and partnership activities. Museum collections serve a range of purposes, and are not always suitable for public display. Only a proportion of a museum’s collection will be displayed at any given time, with the remainder either unsuitable for general display or undergoing conservation, on loan to other venues, or in storage but accessible in parts to the public and researchers alike.DCMS does require its sponsored museums to share their collections, skills, and expertise nationwide, for the enjoyment, education, and entertainment of people across the UK. The Department produces an annual Partnerships Report documenting the extent of this national partnership work, which takes a variety of forms, with a broad range of partners. For example, in the year 2019-20, the national museums (including those sponsored by other government departments and the devolved administrations) undertook 1,534 “loans out” of 59,870 objects to institutions across the UK. This includes both long and short-term loans, with objects seen by over 22 million people.

Gambling

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for granting local authorities greater powers to determine the number and location of gambling premises, such as betting shops, in a local area, to help mitigate gambling related harms.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Gambling Act Review is taking a comprehensive look at gambling legislation and regulation in Great Britain to make sure it is fit for the digital age, including whether licensing and local authorities have enough powers to fulfil their responsibilities in respect of premises licences. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and next steps in the coming weeks.

Gambling: Taxation

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the case for introducing a mandatory levy on gambling firms to help fund an expansion of treatment and support services for those experiencing gambling related harm.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Government’s Review of the Gambling Act called for evidence on how best to recoup the regulatory and societal costs of problem gambling. We will publish a white paper setting out our conclusions and vision for the sector in due course.

Department for Transport

Blue Badge Scheme: Spain

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with regional authorities in Spain regarding mutual recognition of disabled persons blue parking badges; and what progress has been made in those discussions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Blue Badge recognition between countries has to date been based on informal arrangements. The Department for Transport continues to work towards reciprocal provision for Blue Badge holders but does not provide a commentary on the status of these negotiations.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

OneWeb: Satellites

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for OneWeb to obtain an alternative to the Russian Soyuz launch facility.

Lord Callanan: Following successful conversations earlier this year, OneWeb recently announced agreements with SpaceX and New Space India to launch satellites from alternative launch facilities in lieu of planned (now cancelled) Soyuz launches.These launches are subject to the relevant regulatory clearances.

Oneweb: Satellites

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 4 April (HL7258), how many of OneWeb’s satellites have been abandoned in Kazakhstan following the decision to suspend use of Russian Soyuz launch vehicles; what is their combined value; and what plans they have to seek their return.

Lord Callanan: This information is commercially confidential and is a matter for the company.

OneWeb

Lord Bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many satellite launches have been achieved by communications company OneWeb, and how does this number compare with the targeted number.

Lord Callanan: Since February 2019, OneWeb has launched 66% of its planned constellation over 13 successful launches. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, OneWeb suspended the remaining six launches from Baikonur.Following successful conversations earlier this year, OneWeb announced plans for future launches with SpaceX and New Space India.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the reported bottleneck in the Coronavirus Test Device Approval process.

Lord Kamall: Current delays in the Coronavirus Test Device Approval (CTDA) process have been due to further information being sought from applicants during the validation process. However, to ensure applications meet the required standards, expert support has been provided by officials, with 60% of approvals being processed in the last three months. The number of scientific advisors has also been increased to meet demand. Online guidance for applicants has also been updated to provide greater clarity for acceptance criteria for the range of viral loads within positive samples. Officials continue to work with applicants to provide support during the process and minimise any potential delays.

Coronavirus: Screening

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they conducted a cost analysis before the implementation of the Coronavirus Test Device Approvals process; and how the desktop review fee amount for test applications was decided.

Lord Kamall: The Department’s online only impact assessment included a cost analysis and calculations on the implementation of the Coronavirus Test Device Approvals process. It is intended that this regulation should be cost neutral for taxpayers and as such, the Government recovers the costs from applicants, while ensuring fees are as low as possible. However, through engagement in a public consultation and with industry, we recognised concerns on ensuring smaller businesses can access the market. Therefore a discounted rate of 55% is offered, in line with taxation benefits for research and development spending offered to small to medium-sized enterprises. We have committed to review the policy at the end of 2022.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: Standards

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) impact on technology appraisals, and (2) timely access to medicines, of current capacity issues experienced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence in relation to its plans to deal with capacity issues.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address capacity issues being experienced by the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence.

Lord Kamall: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) commits to publishing draft recommendations on new medicines approximately at the time of licensing, with final guidance within three months of licensing wherever possible. In 2021/22, guidance was issued within three months of a licence for 100% of new medicines where NICE proceeded to appraisal and 98 technology appraisals were published, meeting the target in its business plan.The Department holds regular accountability meetings with NICE to discuss a range of issues, including the delivery of its commitments. NICE is prioritising the flexibility and capacity of its technology appraisal programme through a more proportionate approach to assessments. From April 2023, NICE aims to expand its capacity for technology appraisals by 20% to respond to the increasing numbers of topics referred for appraisal.